When clients refuse to pay...

[Ty Korrigan]

Heres a knotty one for you all.

I give a verbal quote for felling a tree for an old French Dame who whose garden we look after.

We take down the tree and clear up as agreed on budget THEN Madam asks for other works to be done. Further tree work that also creates waste that needs sorting out and garden that requires cleaning up afterwards.

 

End of month and we send out the bills.

Nothing from Madam until we hear from local gossip that we are expensive rip off merchants!

I visit with another copy of our itemised bill (I write down all start/finish/break times etc)

We are accused of 'exagerating' the bill and going over the agreed verbal quote.

Only price agreed was for the first tree.

Madam pleads poverty, age, doesn't remember use coming or going, blah blah blah... playing the vunerable card.

 

 

Now, I am very fond of older people, I shall be one myself one day and have a great respect for those who belong to older generations.

So, if Madam had asked us for a discount and reasoned with us then I would have dropped my bill for a cash payment.

Instead, I find myself with a slandered reputation and being FORCED to drop by a ridiculous sum in order to get any payment at all.

We drop by 50% for a cash payment in the end.

 

This Madam has guiled us into doing further works with little intention of ever paying.

 

Not helped I hear, by another 'gardener' telling her that he would have charged her a fraction for the same work.

This is a local ladder and top handle saw man.

 

I'm not angry about this, just sad that some-one would do this to us.

We pride ourselves on our value for money and customer service.

With this Madam, we went the extra mile for her and she repayed poorly.

[Bundle 2]

At the end of the day you gotta get some money out of your clients or you go bust.....You probably did the right thing.

Bad luck mate!

[Lee Winger]

Been through all that before, but won't ever again! bad luck mate..........

[Heads up]

All i can say is never give a verbal quote without backing it up with an itemised paper quote. Its then in black and white before you start. Seen it happen to multiple people i've worked with.

[gingertreeninja]

i do a written quote with a section at the bottom that i sign and my client signs with the agreed price in black and white, i also have another section for additional work which again i get them to sign of on before i lift a saw. got shafted myself a few times and i found this system works well and keeps everyone happy

[Lee Winger]

What no written quote ooops! I never do anything unless its written down and agreed with by the client..........

[BTS]

When i had this problem i offered then their chip and waste back free of charge on their drive way, and suprise surprise they remembered the quote i gave them but I learnt lesson.

[Albedo]

je sais pas!!! les ros bif sont trop cher!!!

[Stephen Blair]

, she was a young cow, a middle aged cow, and guess what now she is an old cow, a verbal agreement is enough for any lawyer to chase your money, it is up to her to prove you wrong, if the people that believe her that you are a rogue well then they arent the customers for you mate, the good clients find the good contractors. Never work for her again and let her know it. Write her a letter stating this and never bother you again, if you do she will just take the proverbial, let someone else deal with her, let them have the stress and let you concentrate on finding good customers and giving them the first class job you offer and recieve the payment you deserve:thumbup1:

[arbogrunt]

as said, written quote for everything...and then amended for 'extra's'. Old dear or not, she'll be slagging you off whether you get your money owed or not. I'd just send her a solicitors letter, then small claims her if she doesn't cough up.